Friday, December 11, 2015

NT$168 mil. payout for dioxin victims

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- China Petrochemical
Development Corp. (CPDC, 中石化), previously a state-owned enterprise, and
the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA, 經濟部) must compensate 304
affected residents in proximity to the firm's former chemical factory
with a payout totaling NT$168.17 million, the Tainan District Court
ruled on Monday.

The legal battle has spanned nearly seven years, and the sum of
government compensation is the largest in Taiwan's history, according to
local media.
Residents said they would deliberate on whether to
continue the trial against CPDC, since the amount is far from the NT$340
million they initially demanded.
According to prosecutors, the
former power plant in Tainan caused mercury pollution to the surrounding
environment and emitted carcinogenic dioxin. In 2003, researchers found
that fish and shrimp in nearby bodies of water contained mercury and
dioxin levels that exceeded safety levels.
Residents near the
former chemical plant filed a lawsuit against the corporation for
allegedly causing the dioxin contamination in 2008.